Stuart Andrew has pledged his “personal commitment” to facilitating collaboration between civil society organisations and the public and private sectors.
Speaking at the launch of the Law Family Commission on Civil Society, launched today by the think tank Pro Bono Economics, the civil society minister said: “The power and importance of collaboration across sectors is a key tenet of this report and I am keen to see that the government plays its role in this.
“And you can have that personal commitment from me that I will be investing my personal time and resources in this area.”
In his speech, Andrew touched upon all five main areas highlighted in the report, saying he looked forward to working with the sector to boost philanthropic giving in the UK and improve the collection and use of charity data.
He said the government was working with PBE to determine the feasibility of a civil society satellite account, which would combine the data available to paint a more accurate picture of the economic value of the sector.
Also speaking at the event, the businesswoman and TV personality Deborah Meaden highlighted a lack of strategy in the way businesses choose to give to charity, resulting in the vast majority of funds going to large charities with significant brand recognition.
She said: “When choosing which charities to support, businesses want to know that the charity has passed its due diligence. And when they lack the time, they pick organisations that they know will have passed that due diligence test.
“That leaves a whole raft of amazing work that doesn’t get funding, simply because of size.”
The Law Family Commission on Civil Society report, titled ‘Unleashing the power of civil society’, is the product of a two-year research project focused on increasing the productivity of the charity sector.
For the full report click here.